dose of motion tech for monday. word just in from our man ross in CO on his new FCP blog, called youdownwithfcp. he’s the man with his fingers on the keys 24/7 so it’s tech heavy + uber insightful for anyone up to speed.
more basic yet, only four steps to digging into FCP from larry jordan.
Nicholas Jacobs writes:
My 10 year old ACTRA actress daughter (acting since she was 5) wants to produce films. She’s very creative and a good actor and very good with voice work.
It was suggested that she write a short story and use stuffed animals as characters, film it herself, do the voice work and then work with Dad on an iMac to produce a film. We have not bought the iMac yet, and will probably start with iMovie, but may move to Final Cut Express if we need to.
Can we do this with Final Cut Express (not the pro version).
I want to get her started, hopefully with our Canon (as there are just too many options on HD right now) camera and hopefully iMovie and grow from there.
Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Larry replies: Thanks for writing – and my best wishes for Elizabeth’s success. At ten-years-old, even a highly motivated kid may not be ready to make a dedicated career commitment. So, as the father of a daughter myself, here’s my take:
1. The hardest part of producing a movie is PLANNING! Thinking thru clearly what your story is, how you want to shoot it, and how you want it to look. Draw sketches of key scenes. This does not require any software – pencil, paper, and brainpower is all that’s necessary. This process is frustrating, difficult, time-consuming, and absolutely necessary. Oh, and it is also great fun.
2. The second hardest part of producing a movie is getting it shot. Making it look right. Telling your story the way you want. This, too, does not require any software; just a camera.
3. If you survive step 1 and step 2, the editing is the least of your worries. I would opt for cheap and easy – iMovie is fine. So is Sony Vegas on the PC. Don’t get hung up on tools at this point. You are deciding if you like the process.
4. If you can plan a movie, shoot a movie, and edit a movie that others want to watch — and you want to do it all AGAIN — that is the point to invest in the tools to become successful.
For now, it is enough to try.
more inspiration on mediastorm if you’re just into the viewing experience.
great little guy in powder magazine’s feb edition cover feature called ’sonic youth’ featuring the top 20 skiers 18 + under on the continent.
i’ve had the pleasure of working with whitefish, mt native mitch numerous times over the past few years + nothing but good things to say. humble man with a ton of potential. + the fact that he’s the youngest by far in the draft says a ton. can’t wait to see what he does.
back from an intl trip last week + had a question that fits timing wise in more ways then one – “you’ve mentioned pelican cases before, what’s your fav travel tools + best way to protect gear”?
thanks for the question bob. this is tough + easy. easy because there are a number of options (lowepro, crumpler, tenba, dakine, lightware, photojojo, petrol…) + tough because though there are choices a plenty in my mind there’s nothing that covers a wide variety of work styles with a modular system. i have word that there’s a remedy for this in the works so stay tuned but more often then not it’s about evaluating your style, goals + gear + then mashing together a system that’s fluid for you.
the perfect set up for me would be highly versatile + functional with minimal extras. simplicity over saturation. i take this into my own hands when feasible. in fact, as demo’d in the attached video, i’ll strip down major manufacturers designs + recalibrate them for my own needs. in this case that’s a jumbo sized lowepro super trekker awII reconfigured for an elinchrom ranger battery pack with two heads + accessories. we use this set up for local travel/on site schlepping + the pelican 1610 hard case for flight or other rough travel.
that said, my current methods tend to fluctuate as gear is added or subtracted from inventory. i like to have one main storage with everything camera wise in it for easy access + local transportation. this is paralleled with similar set ups for lights, video, underwater housing, assistant’s bag, point + shoot, etc. flight travel usually works well with what i have as i’m currently in a lowepro rolling backpack that’s carry on sized (road runner aw). between that + pelican’s 1490 hard case for a laptop + hard drive the basics are with you all the time. if lights are going then i use a pelican 1610 hard case (see above). when i heli in somewhere (or snowmobile) i’ll opt for the lowepro omni trekker combined with it’s pelican 1550 mate.
definitely keep a headlamp in your bag, a copy of your photographer’s rights, any credentials you have, business cards, model releases, a blower, a lens pen, a cotton cloth, zip loc bags + silica packets. photograph everything at least once a year for insurance + travel purposes + you might even want to before each trip. a checklist isn’t a bad ideas as well, especially as your war chest grows or if you’re working with other shooters. + keep it all labeled clearly so you too don’t end up with well used cards from calumet sf’s rental dept.
for me the crux is always after the traveling, once you’ve arrived. + that my friends is what i’ll get to next.
(song 10) thanks todd snider. remind you of anyone? seeing this all too often in the school of visual media these days (makes for a great tune though).
A man once said that the pinnacle of success
Is when you’ve finally lost interest
In money, compliments, and publicity
Many years later, another man would say all that again
But not for the sake of inspiring men
But rather ’cause he got nine songs
And knows he needs at least ten
Before he can go back to town and turn ‘em all in
To get money–you guessed it–compliments, publicity
Money, compliments, and publicity
Lord, I’m gonna take it to the bank
I said money, I love the compliments and the publicity
I got so many people to thank
I wanna thank Clive Davis
I wanna thank the Good Lord up in heaven above
And all my fans for my money, my compliments, and my publicity
Money, compliments, and publicity
Lord, I would bathe in
Money, compliments, and publicity
Money, compliments, and publicity
+ while we’re abroad, here’s a spot of fine french filmmaking as well, la blogoteque. their off kilter style has produced an array of ‘take away’ shows with stark results. they’ve filmed Sufjan Stevens playing on top of a church, Arcade Fire in an elevator, Sigur Ros in a restaurant, Phoenix in front of the Eiffel Tower to mention a few.
in line with our upcoming volunteer work for last year (we’re late) with NYPAW in nyc, here’s a fantastic organization called Students of the World (SOW) in Austin that also works with children affected by war. can’t paste the trailer here but they have a powerful looking film coming out entitled the children’s war. there’s more on their site as well as a gallery + info on how to contribute.
i wrestled in high school. it wasn’t my life but it was a great thing for me in many ways.
one thing i vividly remember is a coach who was surprisingly experienced + shared this with us. his career had been cut short due to injury and he turned his focus to teaching the one thing he was passionate about. it came through loud + clear.
though a large guy with a ton of brute strength he wasn’t one to necessarily use it. he was as much about the head games as he was about the physicality of the sport.
in particular i remember his story about dedication + what it takes to succeed. he told us about a former opponent of his, russian i think, who later went on to train for the olympics. wanting to be an olympic champion he realized he had to think like a champion.
he would go to practice with the rest of the olympic team – twice a day for 3 hours each time. but, he reasoned, his opponents wanted to be champion’s as well so they probably put in another hour after their team practice on their own. so he did the same.
as he thought about this though, he realized that he as only one among many potential champions. if they all did an extra hour then they were all potentially equal. his solution was to practice yet another extra hour, alone on his own.
the key to success is hidden under the alarm clock – ben franklin
